Air pollution effects on yield, quality and ecology of range and forage grasses. Final report 18 May 79-28 Feb 81

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:7028620

Youngner, V B; Shropshire, F M; Taylor, O C; Flagler, R B

In order to determine the effects of chronic exposure to ozone and sulfur dioxide on yield and forage quality, seven forage and seven range grasses were exposed to various levels of the pollutants in closed fumigation chambers. Ozone levels were 100, 67, 33, and 0 percent of ambient. Sulfur dioxide was supplied at 10 ppm. Yield parameters studied were total forage dry weight, tiller production and dry weight per tiller. The quality parameters were forage content of nonstructural carbohydrates, crude protein, crude fiber, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Chronic ozone exposure affected yield in varying degrees in all of the forage grasses. Effects were also observed on all quality parameters but species differed in their responses. The most pronounced response was in soluble carbohydrate levels. Because species differed in their growth responses to the pollutants, possible changes in species composition of natural grasslands subjected to air pollution must be considered.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Riverside (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7028620
• Report Number(s): PB-82-195538
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ANIMAL FEEDS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CALCIUM
CARBOHYDRATES
CHALCOGENIDES
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
ECOLOGY
ELEMENTS
EXPOSURE CHAMBERS
FOOD
FORAGE
GRASS
GROWTH
MAGNESIUM
METALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PHOSPHORUS
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
POLLUTION
PRODUCTIVITY
PROTEINS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES